Monday, June 3, 2013

ELECTRIC BIKE UPDATE - YOU WON'T BELIEVE THIS

After two sleepless nights, worrying about the broken bike, broken shower hose, broken screen door, excessive heat in and outside of the RV, and my dwindling resources - I had to take action.  Should I keep the RV?  Should I trade it in on a smaller unit?  Should I keep the bike?  Should I modify the bike?  Should I go back to rolling my beach cart around instead of riding a bike?  Should I get a job?  Should I rent my spare bedroom for added income?  So many decisions to make that it's taken me days to get a grip.

I got  up this morning determined to find someone to fix my bike.  Got on the phone and started calling bike shops in the area.  Also went online to search for repair shops in the New Orleans area.  After a few phone calls I realized that this was not going to be easy.  I was given various reasons why these shops will not work on electric bikes and was becoming more concerned with each call.  What was I going to do with a broken bike?  Can't sell it.  I'm out $800.   I looked for upgrade kits and felt that was going to be my last resort.  I would have to do it myself as these shops even refused to do that.  However I'm not sure I can do the motor kit myself.  I would also have to have a new battery pack if I upgrade.  More money!!!   MONEY MONEY MONEY

More on the bike later.

Got dressed and headed out to find a shower hose.  The RV department at Walmart did not have one.   The local RV supply store did.  Bought one for $31.00 and installed it myself.  However, it leaks water at the connection.  No matter how tight I turn it the water sprays out from the connection.  I'm thinking it is a cracked mount in the shower itself and I will have to take it in for replacement if that is the case.  I can still use the shower as it is but it will waste water if I do.

Broken shower hose.  That white plastic connection sticking up is what I suspect is cracked. 

New shower hose

Now on to the next project.  I watched several youtube videos on how to repair a torn screen and feel that I can do the screen door repair myself.

I don't want to patch it as that will look awful.  So I found some screen in my storage shed and will get my friend to help me do the repair.  That will save some money.

I spent yesterday online looking for Class B motorhomes.  

I love this unit.

My thoughts are that if I had a Pleasure Way motorhome I could park it under my deck and it would be in the shade.  It would also be my only vehicle.  I would sell my conversion van and have only one vehicle and one insurance.  I took my measuring tape and measured the height of my deck.  It is 8 feet high.  That is not enough clearance for the Class B vans.  So I had to give that some more thought.  I would be in the same shape as I'm in now with the sun and heat ruining the motorhome in my driveway.  My RV has already lost a lot of its resale value.  I think I'll keep it one more year.    

As for the heat in the RV, I have decided to hook up to my house 110 outlet and run fans inside the coach during the summer.  That will take care of some of that heat that is cooking the inside of the RV.  Next thing I did was order a cover from Camping World.  I found one on an Internet sale for $265.00 and free shipping. That will give it some shade from the constant sun in my driveway. 


So now I'm beginning to feel a whole lot better.  I'm getting things accomplished.


Here comes the good part....

While I was online looking at youtube videos I watched one on electric bikes, specifically on the Cyclamatic Electric Folding Bike.  As I was halfway listening to the narrator of the video - not really interested in what he was saying - I noticed he was talking about a red button.  That caught my attention.  What red button?  Do I have a red button?  I turned to look at my bike which is parked right next to my desk in my office and sure enough there was a little red button.  Well, that little red button is the ON/OFF button that I never used because I always just turn the key off when not riding.

The rest of the story happened in slow motion.  I got up - turned the key on - pressed the little red button - placed my hand on the throttle and turned it.  Yes, the bike moved!!!  My motor is not burned up!!!

I began to laugh hysterically until tears rolled down my face then I began to cry.  What a relief!  I must have accidentally hit that button while parking the bike on the beach.  I wondered why it got me to that part of the beach fine but would not start when it came time to leave.  It all makes sense now.  

What frustration I have experienced with this bike but am so glad that it is not broken.  Can't help but wonder if that is what happened to the bike I returned last month.  I guess I'll never know.    


The button is right next to the thumb throttle and very easy to hit accidentally

I left the Grand Isle State Park a day early due to all of these incidents and frankly didn't think I would ever want to go back.  Now, I feel a burden has been lifted off of my shoulders.  Things are getting back to the way they were.  

As for as my dwindling resources, I have decided to clean out my spare bedroom and rent it out for $500 a month to medical students attending at the local hospital.  I have done this in the past and know I can do it again.  It's easy money and will pay off my credit card debt in about a year.  If I decide to rent for longer I will be able to replenish my traveling funds.  

So, there you have it.  As a friend of mine has said, "Solo RVing is not for the feint of heart."   Boy is she right.



14 comments:

  1. Glad your bike was just a switch. yay! As for the shower hose, did you wrap teflon tape on the screw threads? You can find it in the plumbing section of Lowes or Home Depot type stores. Makes a big difference in getting a water tight connection. I got a new hose for my shower for $13 by buying a regular hand held shower and hose replacement at Lowes. Much cheaper than the replacement hose. OF course if the faucet connector is broken, you pretty much need a new faucet and that has to be the special one with the shower hose fitting.

    OF course your southern sun is very strong down there. I think my class B is more resilient to sun because it is a vehicle. I think many of the RVs are more prone to problems than a vehicle shell is. I leave a window open and run the roof fan. The inside stays at the ambient outside temperature.

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    1. Hi Mary... No I didn't wrap tape on the threads. I will try that. That hand held shower hose sounds like a good idea. I'm pretty sure I'll need a new faucet and will make an appointment with Camping World for next week.

      I also leave windows open in my RV but we are not even into our hot weather here in South Louisiana and inside the coach is 105 today. Last summer it was awful. Canned goods were exploding in the cabinets. I really want a carport cover but it just isn't in the budget. If I start having an income I will consider the carport for this RV or any other I may purchase in the future.

      Good to hear from you.

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  2. Isn't it amazing what you can find on You Tube? I even found music lesson on there - for free! Learned a lot about PhotoShop from there as well. It seems that You Tube is now my first resource if I want to figure out how to do something. Glad you are getting your issues resolved.

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    1. Hi Donna K... I use youtube often and have learned alot by watching how-to videos. How fortunate I looked at that particular one today.

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  3. I'm so glad some of your problems got solved. Your friend is right, solo RVing is tough!

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    1. Hi Sue... I think that I am on a downward spiral of bad luck. I'm trying to be patient and wait it out. It seems to come in cycles. I hope this cycle is a short lived one. Glad you stopped by.

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  4. It is good to see you on a positive note! The plumbers tape is a good idea. Such good news about the bike.

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    1. Hi Nan... I'm going to get some plumbers tape tomorrow and try that. If it still leaks then I'll take it in to Camping World. I'm soooo happy about the bike being OK.

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  5. Hi! I've been following your blog for a few months and often thought to myself " what a brave woman". It seems that traveling solo would take courage. My opinion? Courage is your middle name ! I'm happy to read that things seem to be on the way up!

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    1. Hi Melanie... Glad you are enjoying my blog. Yes, traveling solo is a challenge. I don't usually let things get me down but these last few episodes just got to me. I'm hoping that I will be entering an upward spiral to good fortune real soon. Thanks for stopping by.

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  6. What a relief on the bike! Wow - I can imagine how you feel. It does seem like things happen all at once. It gets pretty stressful. Then suddenly, after we take it one step at a time and get things cleared up, all is good again. I like the idea of a renter, I was always thinking that, too, when I lived in my condo. That extra bedroom just sat empty. I hope it works out for you.

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    1. Hi Barbara... I think that if I get the right renter it could be a very good move. At one time I had a medical student that agreed to take care of my cats while I visited a friend in Lake Charles, LA. He didn't mind scooping the litter box. What a deal. Hope your luck improves as well.

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  7. Yes, RV'ing is NOT for the faint of heart.... that is why i have stopped, I think, I am faint :) money just does not stretch to where I want it too and there is constantly something happening that you need more money for...

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    1. Hi Loree... You are so right about the money. This last year I have spent nearly $10,000 on house repairs, RV repairs, and dental work. There went my travel money. Hope you get your medical concerns taken care of soon. Thanks for stopping by.

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